


For Good

by PitsOfDisclaire



Category: The Book of Mormon - Parker/Stone/Lopez
Genre: I LOVE IT OKAY LET ME PROJECT, I MAKE CON GEEK OUT ABOUT WICKED, I forgot how to tag stuff its been so long, It's like just a little while after canon, Musical, Thats a weird tag - Freeform, Wicked - Freeform, book of mormon - Freeform, but mckinley doesn't know how friendship works, friend fic!, friendship is fun, group activities are fun!, i could lie and say hinted churchtarts but they literally like get one mention, like its mostly soft but it does get a lil emotional, platonic, sleepover, slight angst, so arnold teaches him, so still mission, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-30 09:25:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15748878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PitsOfDisclaire/pseuds/PitsOfDisclaire
Summary: For the past while now, Elder McKinley has been shutting himself in his office, locking him away from the rest of the world. After one excuse too many, Arnold Cunningham decides to step in and brighten up this Elder's lonely world.





	For Good

There’s the sharp screech of a whistle as the sun scorches the land below. Villagers and missionaries alike have gathered together for their weekly game of soccer. 

Well, ‘weekly’ isn’t the most fitting word. 

There was a divide in the community if you could even call it that. Everyone had their groups, their own sub-communities. It was like an awkward school dance. The boys on one end of the hall and the girls on the other. Only it was the villagers going about their lives and the missionaries, sweaty and afraid. At their last village meeting someone, Elder McKinley, came up with the idea of group activities. Bonding time was in need and the first activity everyone agreed on was soccer. They gathered behind the Missionary Hut for their first, soon-to-be-weekly game of soccer.

“Okay, listen up!” Arnold called out as he held his whistle high in the sky. “We’re going to have two teams of seven. Mafala is the ref and Sadaka and Kevin are team captains!” He gestured for the three to join him. “Lady’s choice, so Sadaka gets first pick!”

The players stood in a straight line, smiling at the captains in hopes of being picked. Naturally, Nabulungi was Sadaka’s first choice and to no one’s surprise, Arnold was Kevin’s. They went back and forth, building their teams until there was only one person left standing. 

“Okay Pops, you’re on Sadaka’s team,” Arnold said as the blond Elder sighed. “So that leaves…” he stopped in his tracks. “Wait, did I miscount?”

“Yeah! Sazz has like double my team!” with a pout Kevin crossed his arms, which earned a scowl from the opposition. 

Her coiled hair bounced as she tossed her head. “Oh please. The teams are the same size! Can you not count, rich kid?”

A sudden blow from the whistle silenced them both. “GUYS CHILL OKAY?!” Arnold yelled. “We’re just missing one person, I think,”

“Great, that means Kevin can sit this out,” She grinned.

“Shut up!”

“Guys! It’s okay, let’s see…” he played with his glasses as he thought. “Pops you’re on Kevin’s team. I’m gonna go and find our missing player,”

The players nodded and soon they were in position. Arnold bestowed the power of the whistle unto Mafala and soon the game was in full swing. The sounds of the competition could be heard from miles away. People were yelling, some were laughing and some were screaming. It seemed that making Mafala the referee was a bad decision. If anyone were to even breathe next to Nabulungi, they’d be scoring makeshift, red cards. With all the commotion were breaths of laughter and winces of pain. Players gasped and grunted as they kicked the ball back and forth, passing it and guarding it. It was as if this game of soccer would be their last. 

 

But one Elder had himself locked away from all the commotion. Nestled in his little office, he hummed as he scribbled thoughts down in his journal. He liked the quiet. The quiet was comfortable. Besides, he was too pale to ever spend an entire day outside under the bright sun. It was an awful excuse, but he had already made a trip to the village early that morning. That was what he told Kevin, who looked disappointed and Poptarts, who knew better. Outside was far too hot. To his luck, he found an old desk fan in one of the drawers. It buzzed so loud he could hardly hear himself think, but the slight, rusty breeze it blew was glorious. If he kept the windows open and the blinds closed, the room was actually quite cool. And so, despite the loud whirring, Connor McKinley was able to do his work in peace.

There was a knock before the door flung open.

“HEY ELDER MCKINLEY!”

Connor had to hold back a yelp as he jumped in his seat. “Elder Cunningham! Don’t do that!”

“Oh! Sorry. Well, anyway,” He arched his back and raised his chin. “Everyone else is playing soccer like you suggested! Don’t you wanna join?”

“That was today?” he feigned confusion. “I’m awfully sorry, but I completely forgot,” he sighed. It wasn’t that he disliked hanging out with everyone. He enjoyed the company, occasionally. he preferred to choose rather than have it sprung upon him. He loved everyone, but in groups, they were boisterous and rowdy. “To be honest I’ve got quite the workload, here. Perhaps next time?”

Arnold frowned. “Maybe I could help you!” The frown went as soon as it came. “Then you’ll have more time to play with us!”

As he took steps forward Connor shrunk back into his seat, his hand covering his ‘work’. “It’s fine, Cunningham. You go enjoy yourself. I don’t want to waste any of your time with boring work,”

He nodded and began making his way out when he stopped in the doorframe.

There was a moment of silence where the only bit of noise was the fan and the scratching of pencil on paper. As he turned to face Connor again he whistled a small tune, in a strange attempt to grab his attention. 

He didn’t need to look up. “Yes, Cunningham?”

“Well… I was thinking,” He bounced on the ball of his heels. “I always hang out with the others, but I never, ever hang out with you,”

“...And?”

“And I think that’s dumb,”

Connor looked up to find Arnold leaning over his desk. Like a firework, you expect Arnold to be bright and loud and in your face, but he still takes you by surprise every time. “I’m very busy-”

“Busy doing what? We got shut down! You’re always so busy, it’s boring. Take time for yourself for once,”

“My work is the only reason we still have funding,” A half lie. “As much as I’d love to, I don’t have the time for a break,” A full lie.

“‘Cause you’re too busy drawing Kevin?”

Connor glanced down. He was, in fact, drawing Kevin. With a flushed face and wide eyes, he pulled his journal to his chest. If he was trying to be obvious, he was doing a spectacular job.

“ARNOLD!”

He gasped. “Did you just use my first name? That’s a win in my book!”

Slowly closing the journal he sighed. “If I hang out with you will you pretend that you saw none of that?”

Starry-eyed he nodded. You could almost see the excitement spilling out of him.

“Then fine. I’ll hang out with you, but only for an hour. Let me get something real quick,”

“YAY!” he squealed as he hopped up and down, watching as Connor rose and shoved something small into his pocket. When he was done he wasted no time in grabbing his hand and running out the door. The hot air hit Connor like a wall and he immediately regretted his decision. ‘It’s just an hour,’ he kept telling himself. He might even enjoy himself, but worry crowded his head as Arnold let out bursts of loud laughter. ‘Just relax, Connor,’ He told himself. ‘You got this.’

For a while, they walked without another word spoken. They walked by the on-going, soon-to-be-weekly game of soccer. Connor had to fight back every urge to make them stop. Poptarts had a black eye, Asmeret was limping and as he waved at Kevin the ball went smack-bang into the back of his head. Arnold was persistent and dragged him away before he could even think of tending to the brunette. He led him down to a wooded area, a place where Connor had not yet dared to go for fear of running into the wildlife. The trees were much different from the ones back home; these were long and thin with gangly limbs. As they went deeper the trees grew thicker and shorter. Light green grass painted the ground, the color seeping into the moss that climbed the trees. Roots protruded through the dirt in winding patterns like nature's tripwires. 

“Where on earth are you taking me?” he asked, his voice shrill as they kept going further and further. If this was back home, five possums would've attacked him by now.

“On an adventure!” Arnold bubbled. “There’s a really cool spot I like to read at sometimes or hang out with Naba!” even though Connor couldn’t see it, he knew a smirk was spreading across his face. “Here’s an idea! Maybe sometime you could take Kevin here?”

Connor dug his nails into the palm of Arnold’s hand. “ARNOLD!”

“Ow! I’m kidding!” he pulled his hand away. “Well, sort of,”

“Is Elder Price all you want to talk about?” he crossed his arms all matter-of-factly, but that was just a constant resting state for Connor. 

“Usually! But not today. Today I want to talk about you!”

Arnold’s beady, brown eyes looked like they were going to explode as he stared at Connor. He had stopped walking when they reached a peculiar clearing in the woods. They stood alone, a wall of trees surrounding them as branches and leaves littered the floor. 

Connor took a small step away. “Um… okay,” ‘Personal’ wasn’t Connor’s forte. “What would you like to know?”

Something extraordinary happened then, something no missionary or villager had ever seen before. Arnold rolled his eyes with a huff.

“Oh, come on. What’s your name? What’s your favourite colour, what are your hobbies? Just friend stuff,” No one had seen Arnold give up so easily before. But as he sat down in the middle of the clearing he looked desperate. Was Connor really that hard to talk to?

“Well, let’s see. My name is Connor,” he began, kneeling down in front of him. “My favourite colour is pink and I like to dance,”

There was a spark of hope in his eyes. “Awesome! My name is Arnold, my favourite colour is green and I like to read!”

Connor nodded and they stared at each other for a bit. He pouted. “How does this make us friends?”

Arnold groaned and threw himself back onto the ground. “Oh my god,” he covered his face with his hands as he took a deep breath. “Okay, okay, let’s try something different,”

His shoulders sagged. Arnold was known for his friendliness across all of Kitguli. He was able to befriend everyone and anyone. It was like his superpower. Heck, he was even able to become best friends with the once stuck up Kevin Price. Was Connor really this hopeless? It felt like there was a wall between them. Not just him and Arnold, there was a wall cutting himself off from everyone. Even Poptarts, his mission companion, struggled to get over that wall. Then a feeling came across him, a feeling so familiar and suffocating- quite literally. Before the thoughts grew louder and before his mind got too crowded, Arnold bolted up.

 

‘If this doesn’t work, then nothing will,’ Arnold thought to himself as he stared at his District Leader. Talking to him was like talking to a pile of bricks. Arnold enjoyed talking to almost anything, but Connor was getting on his last nerve. As he stared at him he began to notice the beads of sweat lining his forehead as he tugged and yanked at his tie. A blast of determination shot through him and he realised that he had to break through to Connor.

“When I was eight I ate dog food because I thought it’d turn me into a dog,”

Connor looked at him with a face of sheer horror. “That’s disgusting! Why on earth would you say that?”

“Because we’re sharing secrets like friends do. Now you tell me one,”

He watched as light blue eyes scanned the world around them, looking for inspiration. His eyes began to widen as he sat up straight, his hands waving through the air.

“LIKE WICKED!” It was the first time he had heard Connor yell about something that wasn’t a chore. He clasped a hand over his mouth and took a deep breath. Arnold felt a little afraid if he was being honest.

“Uh, I don’t know what that is,”

“Wicked the musical! That’s how Elphaba and Glinda become friends, sort of,” 

“Oh well, then that’s awesome!” Arnold smiled, not knowing what any of that meant. 

“Okay well, when I was younger I wanted to be Elphaba and for five Halloweens in a row I dressed up as her!”

“Oh cool! I don’t know who that is…”

“That secret sucks,”

He fell silent and now it was Connor’s turn to stare at him. His mouth opened, but no words came out. It was something he never wanted to experience again. 

“That was a joke,” Connor sighed as they dissolved back into a silence.

“Oh...uh, haha,” Arnold tried to let out his squeal of a laugh but, for the first time ever, it fell flat.

It seemed like they were finally getting somewhere. With Connor’s short burst of energy, he was filled with hope. He thought that he had finally cracked through his hard shell, but now he felt like he was back at square one. Maybe that was just how Connor was built. He was shell, on shell, on shell. Arnold was beginning to doubt if he even had an emotional interior, maybe he was hollow on the inside. 

At the same time, part of him knew how Connor felt. He knew what it was like to have so much love to give and to have it spat back at you. Twice, he told the Elders snippets about the old flame, Steve Blade. Arnold nicknamed him ‘he who shall not be named’ and it stuck. The name had such an effect on the Elders. It made Poptarts run to Connor’s side, it made Kevin want to punch a wall and of course, it made Connor want to cry. All they knew was that Steve was Connor’s awakening and also his outing. 

If someone is closed off it’s usually for good reason. Arnold had to teach himself to not fall behind that wall of defence, to always be open to everyone. He wanted to be the friend he desperately wanted. He needed to. Yes, Arnold had it bad but he knew he’d never experience what Connor had to go through. If their roles had been switched then he would’ve fallen behind the wall too. His heart ached as he watched Connor stare at the ground between them, the cogs so clearly turning in his head. Arnold could never give up on him, no matter how hopeless it seemed. 

Still, Arnold felt helpless. Usually, he was quick to strike up a conversation. He always had something to talk about. Not then. All they could do was take turns sighing and listening to silence so strong the wind couldn't break it. He gave Connor one last look-over, before sighing as he turned his gaze to the sky.

“Um, actually…” Connor began, much to his surprise. His voice was quiet and almost somber. It wasn’t angry like before as it was pushed out of him. “Don’t tell anyone I have this,” he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pink iPod and a set of earphones. 

“Oh. My. God,”

“Please, please, please don’t tell anyone,” He begged as he unravelled the cords. “It’s just a little slice of home that I bring with me everywhere,”

“You broke the rules,” Arnold whispered. 

“I don’t think it’s the biggest one I’ve broken,” he smiled.

“Elder Connor McKinley broke the rules!” Arnold was grinning from ear to ear as he sat up straight. “I mean, if it makes you feel better I brought a BUNCH of comics that aren’t mission approved,”

“Right… well, anyway. I was thinking because it is a very big part of my life, would you like to know what Wicked is?” he held out an earphone for Arnold to take.

Arnold nodded excitedly as he put in the earphone. Finally, it felt like he was going to crack open their cold District Leader.

“Well, okay. So it’s like a prequel to The Wizard of Oz-”

“LIKE STAR WARS!”

“Sort of, only this is from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West and it’s actually good,”

Arnold pretended to be offended but he giggled.

“So it’s like the story of the Wicked Witch, whose name is Elphaba and how she came to be. But it’s also about her friendship with Glinda the Good,”

“Wasn’t she the one in the bubble?”

“Bingo.”

Arnold tilted his head as he grew confused. “Wait, but isn’t Elphaba meant to be evil and isn’t Glinda meant to be...good?”

Connor nodded, a fire in his eyes as he moved closer to Arnold, sitting beside him. “That’s the thing- this musical shows you how blurry the lines between good and evil are. I suppose it's about the reason people do things. Like Glinda is nice, but it’s for selfish reasons and Elphaba can be a bit rude, but she’s only defending herself,”

And slowly, everything was beginning to click in Arnold’s head as Connor rambled on and on. This was a new record for Connor. It was definitely the most he had spoken to anyone in one day. 

“And of course it’s also about how that if you’re different, people won’t like you. I mean, Elphaba is green! But she’s got a heart full of love and she wants to make the world a better place, but because she’s different... no one lets her,”

Connor’s voice dropped he neared the end of the last bit, the realisation smacking Arnold across the face.

“And even though she was only trying to help everyone, everyone just thinks she’s Wicked,”

“And you like her because you’re gay!”

Like a deer caught in the headlights, Connor froze with widened eyes. “Uh…” he stuttered.

“...And people prejudge you for that,”

“Um, yeah. I guess you’re right, yeah,” He scratched behind his ear.

Arnold’s mouth always spoke before his brain could think, he didn’t mean to catch Connor so off-guard. “Well...maybe I’m like Elphaba too.” the red-head looked up at him. “People never take me seriously because I’m really loud and kind of weird. I mean, It’s probably a weight thing, to be honest. Like, because I’m fat everyone automatically thinks I’m an idiot. But I’m not, I'm just... smart at different things,”

“Like making friends?” Connor asked, softly with a small smile.

Arnold shrugged. “That depends, I mean, not even Kevin liked me at first,” he chuckled. “To be honest though I don’t think he used to like anyone else besides himself. Don’t tell him I said that though, it’ll make him sad,”

Connor nodded. “My lips are sealed. Speaking of being quiet,” he giggled. “Hush, so we can listen to the most amazing thing you’ll ever hear,”

With grins across their faces, the two lay down. Their heads almost touching as they shared earphones, the music pouring out. The rhythm felt like it was drawing Arnold in. He was drifting into the world of Oz, into the lives of Elphaba and Glinda but also into the life of Connor McKinley. That conversation opened his eyes to the different world that Connor was living in. Their lives and their stories were so different yet, they were on similar paths. Arnold grew up with no friends, he couldn’t even give you the name of one person he considered to be an acquaintance. He couldn’t see into his brain, but it was so obvious how lonely Connor was. The one friend he had growing up betrayed him and the mark he left was still visible.

Now Connor spent his days locked in his office, lying about all the work he had to do because it was the only solution. It was familiar to him. He had an excuse for everything. An excuse for why he couldn't go to a party, why he couldn't join soccer, why he couldn’t talk to any of the others. Sure, this did have a small effect on everyone, but could you actually blame him? 

Arnold wasn’t a detective, but there was a lot of evidence to support his reasoning. For example, if anyone brought up the fact that he didn't talk to anyone, Poptarts would shut them down in an instant. At least he had his companion to talk to, but one person could never be enough to fix a lifetime of loneliness. There was also the hell dreams Connor had. The loud sobs woke him a few times and once he even burst in when it sounded worse than usual. It was a massive mistake. Poptarts yelled at him as Connor tried his best to hide behind his companion, who on a lucky day, stood at 5'5. At meals Connor only ever spoke to the blond Elder. On movie night he sat at his side, they walked with their shoulders bumping together. For a while, people thought there was something going on between them, or at least Kevin did. 

Even with Poptarts as his closest friend, Connor had no one. You can only vent to the one person so many times before it gets repetitive and dry. His companion seemed to be willing to listen but as the days passed he would spend more and more time in his office. 

Arnold felt the start of a change. He hoped today would inspire Connor to reach out to the others, to not be so alone. 

 

A light breeze drifted across their faces as they lay there, staring up at the sky. It seemed that the aura of the little clearing had shifted. The trees no longer towered above them, trapping them inside the clearing. Sunbeams broke through the leaves as they let out a warm, green glow. The place almost seemed magical in that instance. Even as they listened to the music Connor could still hear the birds singing their own tunes. Their chirps were light and gentle as they nested in the trees. He let out a sigh. For once everything felt right.

Roughly an hour had passed and neither of them had spoken another word. It was a cozy kind of quiet, the kind that’s relaxing and sweet. Neither of them needed to say another word as they took in the songs that spilled out of the little iPod. They were content with each other’s company. Lying in the clearing Connor felt as light as a feather, the stress had melted off of his shoulders long ago. He hoped Arnold felt the same.

“Wow,” Arnold whispered when the music came to a stop. He sat up slowly, taking out the earphone as he did. “That’s really good,”

“Yeah, it is,” Connor agreed, following him. He wiped a few stray tears off his face and he could’ve sworn that Arnold was doing the same. 

“Thank you, for letting me in a little,” Arnold said in a hushed tone. Before he knew it, Arnold had his arms wrapped around him in a gentle squeeze. His cheek was squished against Connor’s shoulder as they both relaxed into the hug.

“Thank you for trying to talk to me- I mean, I know how distant I can be so… uh, thank you,” he let out a dry laugh. “And sorry for crying so much, the music just sort of gets to me,”

“Hey, don’t be sorry about that!” he pulled away to look up at him. “I think it’s good to cry every now and then. Gotta let loose, you know?”

Connor nodded with a smile. “You’re right. Gosh, you’re always right. I need to learn how to take a break,”

“And to get to know the others more! We all care about you, you know. And you know…” he elbowed him playfully. “I think Kevin would be a good start,”

As a blush spread across his cheeks, Connor laughed. “Oh, hush. Maybe- I don’t know. We’ll see,”

“Awww!” Arnold squealed.

Connor shushed him. “Come on, we should probably start heading back. The others will think we’ve been eaten or something.” He stood up and brushed himself down, wiping the dirt from his dress pants. He held out a hand for Arnold to take.

Taking his hand, he pulled himself up. “Yeah, they do that a lot.” he chuckled. “Hey! Next time I could bring some of my comics to read! They have lots of gay people,”

“Oh you know me so well,” he grinned.

“Well enough to be friends?”

Connor gave his hand a squeeze as they began walking back the way they came. “Were we not always friends?”

Arnold was grinning from ear to ear as they returned to the mission hut. They couldn’t help but laugh at the exhaustion dripping from the retired players. As they stared at what was left of them all, they were thankful. On the sidelines, Poptarts was sat with Elder Church, who was pressing an ice-cold cloth to his face. Asmeret was lying down with her head in Naba’s lap as she laced her coils with beautiful wildflowers. In the center of the playing field were Sadaka and Kevin, bickering over who had won and who had lost. Mafala was walking away, ignoring them both. Arnold and Connor walked hand in hand past the carnage, humming to themselves. Soon, they were back outside of Connor’s office and for once he didn’t want to go in.

Arnold must’ve noticed his change in demeanor as he was quick to reassure him. “You know, you don’t have to go back in. You could hang out with us,” an idea sparked within him. “How about we have a surprise movie night! We can make snacks and stay up late and have a slumber party!”

Everything Connor once hated about Arnold was now endearing. He loved the little firework. “Would they want to? I mean, Pops seemed to be pretty banged up,”

The eye roll returned. “We can just say that it’s a chill-out session for after the big game! Oh please, McKinley…”

“Connor.” He corrected with a grin. Usually, he liked the Elders to stick to their routine, which was another reason for them to hate him. “I think that sounds like a wonderful idea,” But this new side of Connor was different. 

To everyone’s surprise, Connor was brimming with excitement the entire night. As the movies played, they had an interesting game of truth or dare. They played for hours. Their game only came to an end when Schrader came close to death after one too many marshmallows. With their one tiny couch, most of the Elders found themselves sleeping on the floor. He didn’t know how it happened but Connor had ended up right at Kevin’s side. They were the last ones awake after one by one, everyone passed out. Arnold’s snores weren’t loud enough to drown out the sound of Connor’s beating heart as he lay face to face with Kevin.

At two am they shared a deep conversation, about home life and mission life. It was sad but very sweet. At one point, the brunett even reached forward to stroke Connor’s cheek as he recalled Steve’s betrayal. Kevin talked about his personal life too, like how he was more of a loner than a popular kid in school. At least that was what he felt like. It was strange how much they got along and how much emotion they shared. As the time ticked by the conversation moved on to more recent events, like earlier that day.

“I’m proud of you, you know,” Kevin whispered. “I don’t think I’ve seen you smile this much before,”

Connor tried his hardest not to blush. “Well, let’s just say I finally got a wake-up call,”

“I have to ask… what did you guys do today?”

As his eyes began to flutter shut, in his sleepy state he nestled closer to Kevin. “We went on an adventure,” and he grinned as wide as ever as he buried his face in his shoulder. He could feel himself drift off, completely at peace in Kevin’s warmth. For the first time in a long time, Connor slept without any bad dreams, just warm thoughts buzzing around his head.

Arnold slept knowing, that they had both changed each other for good.

Kevin, on the other hand, was barely able to fall asleep with his heated cheeks and racing mind. 

"Fuck," he whispered.


End file.
